Avoiding Each Other

I know how it sounds when I say this, but I’m going to say it anyway: My online life is very fulfilling. There is a vibrant parenting community on the internet. We seek each other out to learn, criticize, and communicate. Online, I generally avoid people I hate (unless I’m in a mood) and I seek others out with similar interests and a sense of humor. I can edit comments before posting them and explain myself (ad nauseum, you might say) in blog posts. I like it.

In real life, however, I usually avoid people. I don’t like small talk or catching up. I don’t like to run in to people when I’m busy or hear about things that bore me. Curmudgeon much?

Turns out I’m not a lone. A recent study found out what people do to avoid each other on a bus. We go to great lengths to avoid each other during this social interaction and one of the weirdest things a person can do is take a seat next to someone when another seat (further away) is available.

We won’t sit next to someone on a bus yet we’re posting pictures of our naked natural birth on the internet. Life is strange.

Click through for the top avoidance strategies that might just work on your kids. . .

Check out the most effective strategies for avoiding people on buses. Some of these might work on your kids when you’re “touched out” and can’t fill one more request!

Avoid eye contact with other people

Lean against the window and stretch out your legs

Place a large bag on the empty seat

Sit on the aisle seat and turn on your iPod so you can pretend you can’t hear people asking for the window seat

Place several items on the spare seat so it’s not worth the passenger’s time waiting for you to move them

Look out the window with a blank stare to look crazy

Pretend to be asleep

Put your coat on the seat to make it appear already taken

If all else fails, lie and say the seat has been taken by someone else

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